In the evening of that day, in the study room of the Seventh Prince's Mansion.
Zhu Hejian was sitting behind the desk, his expression full of concentration, and he was personally sorting out all kinds of intelligence information collected today.
Zhu Hejian has always been well aware of the principle of "a person who travels a hundred miles is half a mile". As the crown prince's dethronement gradually approaches - especially in recent times, Emperor Deqing's attitude towards the prince Zhu Heyu has been somewhat ambiguous.
Unlike in the past, when he only felt disgust, Zhu Hejian paid more and more attention to the various dynamics between the government and the opposition, and would not let go of any disturbance, for fear that his inheritance of the throne would change.
Therefore, every evening, Zhu Hejian would deliberately take time out to sort out the day's intelligence information in his study. Not only would he respond quickly, but he would also fine-tune the direction of his plan based on this information, and would never tolerate any flaws in himself.
.
In this respect, the habits of Zhu Hejian and Zhao Junchen are very close. They both have a strong desire to control and must control the overall situation in time to feel at ease, otherwise they will not sleep well.
Today, Zhu Hejian's temple forces have formed a three-legged alliance with Zhao Junchen and Zhou Shangjing, and they also have an intelligence network that has begun to take shape, so he receives a large amount of all kinds of intelligence every day.
This information can be said to be numerous and miscellaneous, stacked together to a depth of three to five inches.
Among them, some of the information is about high-profile court affairs, such as the recent official changes in Southern Zhili, and the current situation of Emperor Deqing's military and political consolidation in Shaanxi and Gansu. Some of the information is just seemingly trivial matters, such as
It is said that a certain court official took a new concubine, or that a certain nobleman lost a large sum of money in the casino, etc.
However, in the face of so much complicated and confusing intelligence information, Zhu Hejian was not only quick and effective when sorting out and summarizing, but also clear and coherent.
Zhu Hejian's method of organizing information is very distinctive. Zhu Hejian himself calls this method the "three-point rule."
First of all, temporarily put the information that seems to be insignificant and not directly related to him into one category - although this type of information will not be of much use in the short term, it may be used in the future.
Although detailed analysis is not required, you must be aware of it;
Secondly, the information that seems to be of great importance but has little to do with him is temporarily classified into one category - for Zhu Hejian, this kind of information must be done, because Emperor Deqing said
He might be tested by these things at some point, so Zhu Hejian had to be prepared so that Emperor Deqing would be satisfied with his performance at any time.
Finally, there is news that is related to him personally. Whether this type of news is of great importance or not, it must be classified into the same category - for this kind of news, Zhu Hejian must study it carefully, consider it carefully, and never dare to
No detail is left unattended, and no omissions are dared to be made.
In this way, while Zhu Hejian was focusing on sorting out the intelligence information, time passed quickly, and more than half an hour had passed before he knew it.
*
After Zhu Hejian finished sorting and summarizing the last piece of information, he couldn't help but feel physically and mentally exhausted from the long period of concentrated thinking. He couldn't help but let out a long breath, then stretched his waist, raised his head, and stretched his muscles.
However, when Zhu Hejian looked up, he found that the eunuch Jia Lun had been standing in front of him at some point holding a cup of ginseng tea.
On the other side, when Jia Lun saw that Zhu Hejian's work of handling intelligence had finally come to an end, he immediately offered the ginseng tea in his hand to Zhu Hejian and reported at the same time: "Your Highness, we have just received several new messages, all of which are extremely important. You must be asked.
Come and make up your own mind."
At the time of reporting, Jia Lun seemed not to notice the sleepiness in Zhu Hejian's expression, nor did he care about Zhu Hejian's physical condition.
In fact, Jia Lun knew very well in his heart that his master was a pure power animal - even if Zhu Hejian had been in poor health for a long time, and even if Zhu Hejian was now physically and mentally exhausted, he must still use his power at this time.
Business comes first. If he advised Zhu Hejian to pay attention to his health and take a rest at this time, and then delayed business, then he would not be qualified to stay with Zhu Hejian.
Sure enough, after hearing Jia Lun's report, Zhu Hejian didn't show any displeasure at all. He just reached out and took the ginseng tea handed by Jia Lun and drank it in one gulp, and his mental state was lifted accordingly.
Later, Zhu Hejian returned to his usual coldness and shrewdness and asked: "What's the news?"
Jia Lun replied quickly: "I just received the news that Your Majesty has finished his private visit incognito and returned to the palace not long ago. Wu Xinquan, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, also immediately reported the news about Luoyang to Your Majesty."
After hearing the report, an inexplicable smile flashed across Zhu Hejian's face and he asked: "Oh? What was your father's reaction?"
The bloody conflict between Prince Zhu Heyu and Prince Fu's Mansion was caused by the poisoning death of Prince Fu's eldest son Zhu Hezeng. The poisoning death of Zhu Hezeng was due to the secret design of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, and Zhu Hejian had been paying close attention to Luoyang.
Therefore, I received the news in advance and was well prepared. Now I am just concerned about Emperor Deqing's reaction.
Jia Lun's reaction was very similar to Zhu Hejian's. Both had a sneer on their faces and said: "Your Majesty was naturally furious and almost smashed the entire imperial study room! ... It is said that he cursed the prince for most of an hour.
He said a lot of unpleasant things."
The sneer on Zhu Hejian's face worsened, and he nodded: "This is a matter of course! There was a bloody conflict between the prince and the feudal clan, and many people died. Then the army suppressed it, imprisoned the feudal prince, and tortured the clan members. Such a scandal is enough to record in history.
Well, my father has always been good-looking, so how can he not be angry?
Hey! Regardless of whether the prince is right about this matter or not, he will definitely be judged as someone who persecutes his clan, is cold-blooded, and reckless and arrogant. His reputation will definitely be severely damaged and he will never receive support from both the government and the opposition! With this,
At the same time, his father was disgraced and had to find a way to clean up his mess. He had used the secret seal some time ago to slightly change his father's impression and evaluation of him, but so far he had failed!
In this way, the prince has no chance of making a comeback! He can no longer pose a threat to me! ... You have done a good job in this matter, and I am very satisfied."
Jia Lun still had a sinister expression on his face and said: "This is all because of His Highness's superb methods. The Prince just had a chance of making a comeback, but was easily killed by His Highness... Prince Fu's eldest son also played his remaining role,
A worthy death."
Zhu Hejian nodded to express satisfaction, but soon thought of something. He quickly stopped the smile on his face, returned to his seriousness and seriousness, and asked: "By the way, my father suddenly left the palace today for a private visit in secret. What's going on?"
The reason? I heard that Zhao Junchen is still driving with you?"
Jia Lun replied quickly: "Our family is about to report this matter to His Highness... According to our reports in the palace, it seems that Xu Sheng, the Royal Horse Supervisor, accidentally learned the news about the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' and discovered that the capital
The 'Tongji Temple' to the south secretly enshrines the statue of the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea', and then reported the news to His Majesty!
After His Majesty left the palace incognito today, he first went to East Street, during which he also visited several grain stores, as if he was concerned about changes in private grain prices;
But soon, His Majesty and Zhao Junchen took a carriage to the 'Tongji Temple', and then stayed in the 'Tongji Temple' for more than an hour. When His Majesty left the 'Tongji Temple', not only the 'Tongji Temple'
Zhang Daoquan, the chief abbot of the temple, accompanied him personally. His Majesty was very polite and excited when getting along with Zhang Daoquan. It seemed that he had really discovered the magic traces of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea" in the "Tongji Temple";
When His Majesty returned to the capital, due to road blockage, he stayed in a teahouse on South Street for about half an hour, during which he listened to a storytelling session, and finally returned to the palace at a quarter past midnight."
Obviously, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian's eyes have been keeping an eye on the whereabouts of Emperor Deqing's private visits in private. Even among the few guards in charge of secretly guarding Emperor Deqing today, there are Zhu Hejian, otherwise he would not have received this information now.
Clear and detailed information.
After hearing Jia Lun's explanation, Zhu Hejian immediately fell into deep thought.
After a long time, Zhu Hejian raised his head and said: "This information is too vague! I always feel that my father's private visit incognito today is not simple, especially with Zhao Junchen accompanying me, which makes me have to be more cautious...
...So, you need to send someone out immediately to find out more detailed information!
What did the father say when he visited various grain stores? What was the background of the 'Tongji Temple'? What kind of person was Zhang Daoquan, the chief abbot of the 'Tongji Temple'? Even what the father said in the teahouse
The content of the storytelling that I heard...these details cannot be ignored, you must find out clearly and report them to me in time!"
"Understood!"
After hearing Zhu Hejian's instructions, Jia Lun naturally did not dare to neglect and quickly agreed seriously.
However, after Jia Lun received the order, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked hesitant.
Seeing Jia Lun's performance, Zhu Hejian knew that Jia Lun had something important to report, and asked: "What else is there? Why are you hesitating?"
After Jia Lun hesitated for a moment, seeing Zhu Hejian's expression becoming unhappy, he finally did not dare to hesitate and replied quickly: "Just now, I received a piece of news, but this news is a bit absurd, and I can't guarantee its accuracy.
, so I am a little hesitant as to whether I should report it to His Highness..."
Zhu Hejian rarely saw Jia Lun look so hesitant, and Zhu Hejian was not pleased with this behavior. He immediately frowned and asked: "What is the news?"
"It is rumored that there is a secret yamen in the imperial court that is currently recruiting people and informants among the people, and this secret yamen... is a large expert factory that has been abolished during the Zhengde period of the previous dynasty!
Your Highness, you also know that with the distribution of our eyes and ears in the inner court, if the inner factory is rebuilt, we should receive the news anyway, but we have not received the news from beginning to end, so our family feels that this news is very important. Eighty-nine of them are false, but the stakes are very high, so our family is hesitant."
Zhu Hejian frowned again, but did not ignore it at all. He lowered his head and muttered: "Indeed, under normal circumstances, if the father wants to rebuild the inner factory, he should transfer personnel from the East and West Second Factory and Jinyiwei, and we have always done so. If you haven’t received the news, it’s most likely false news…
But there is another less likely reason, that is, when the father rebuilt the inner factory, he deliberately bypassed the factory guards and the inner court forces. In other words, the father was secretly guarding the factory guards and the inner court. After all, with his father The emperor's suspicion and keenness, as we penetrate deeper and deeper into the inner court, he may have discovered some signs. He even rebuilt the inner factory this time just to investigate the inner court...
If this is the case, even if the possibility is small, we have to guard against..."
When talking about the latter part, Zhu Hejian's expression became serious. He raised his head and asked again: "In addition to the information you received, in addition to the internal factory's recruitment of people and spies among the people, is there any more detailed information?"
Jia Lun did not dare to hesitate anymore this time and replied: "There is still some news, but the content is even more absurd. It is said that the person specifically responsible for the reconstruction of the Da Nei Hing Factory, that is, the current factory director of the Da Nei Hing Factory, is The Secretary of General Affairs has experienced Li Chunchen from the seventh rank! Not only does this person have a low official position, but he is also a foreign minister. It is difficult for people to believe that His Majesty would appoint him as the factory supervisor."
"Li Chunchen..."
After hearing Jia Lun's answer, Zhu Hejian thought of the fact that Emperor Deqing had secretly summoned Li Chunchen for secret talks in recent times. Not only did this news not feel ridiculous, but his expression became more serious.
Later, Zhu Hejian gave a categorical order: "This Li Chunchen, send people to keep an eye on him, and be sure to verify as soon as possible whether the news about the reconstruction of the inner factory is true!"
"Understood!"
Seeing Zhu Hejian being so cautious, Jia Lun immediately agreed.